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    Home / Desserts / Custards & Puddings
    5 from 1 review

    Mushrooms for Dessert: Candy Cap Creme Caramels

    By Alanna Taylor-Tobin on Dec 25, 2009 (updated Mar 6, 2025) / 6 Comments Jump to Recipe

     
    close up of caps creme caramel

     

    No, you are not having a mushroom induced hallucination -- well, maybe you are, but you did read that title correctly. Candy caps, or lactarius rubidus, have a strong maple aroma when dried and are often used in pastry making. I first sampled this delicious fungus at Alive, a raw restaurant in the Marina, in a candy cap cheesecake. Now I know that raw, mushroom-flavored cheesecake sounds completely revulsive, but one bite of their ethereal confection bursting with creamy, maple goodness would immediately dissuade you otherwise.

     

    I longed to get my mitts on some of those shrooms to play with, and, luckily, didn't have to wait long. A mycologically-inclined friend generously offered some up that he'd found foraging. I made some heavenly ice cream, then hoarded the rest, thinking I mightn't get more.

     
    close up of mushrooms
     
    But the other day, the same friend took us hunting. We didn't have to work too hard as the hills were practically littered with them. A few hours of minimal scrambling and huffing and we'd collected two sheet pans' worth. As the new ones dried in the oven, I decided to make good on the old.
     
    dried cap mushrooms
     
    I steeped some dried caps in a mixture of milk and cream for half an hour,
     
    caps and milk in a pot
     
    then tempered the dairy into eggs and sugar and strained the mixture.
     
    eggs and sugar mix through a sieve
     
    I caramelized some sugar
     
    caramelized sugar in a pot
    poured it into ramekins,
     
    top down shot of creme caramels
     
    top down shot of creme caramel mix in a ramikin
     
    and added the custard.
     
    creme caramel mix poured into ramikins
     
    The custards baked in a water bath, then chilled overnight. The caramel absorbs liquid from the custard, turning it into a luscious sauce. These creme caramels are smooth, creamy and burst with the sweet, maple-like flavor of candy caps. Your guests will never know they're made with fungi. If you lack trustworthy mushroom geek friends, you can order candy caps online.
     
    top down of creme caramel

    For more mushroom recipes:

    • Vegetarian Gluten-Free Mushroom Gravy {vegan option}
    • Creamy Grits and Mushrooms
    • Mushroom Cheddar Dutch Baby {gluten-free}
    • Cheddar Mushroom Asparagus Quiche & Gluten-Free Ghee Piecrust

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this candy cap creme caramels recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

    creme caramel on a plate
    5 from 1 review

    Candy Cap Creme Caramels

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Impress your guests with this fungus dessert!
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 1 hour hour
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour
    Chilling time: 12 hours hours
    Total: 2 hours hours
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    Custard base:

    • 1/3 cup dried candy cap mushrooms (1/4 ounce)
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/2 cup whole milk
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • pinch salt
    • 1 egg
    • 2 egg yolks

    Caramel:

    • 1 1/2 tablespoons water
    • 1/3 cup sugar
    • pinch cream of tartar
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325º. Have four 4 ounce ramekins ready, and an 8" square pan with 2" high sides.
    • Combine the caps, milk, cream and half the sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat until bubbles form along the sides of the pan and the mixture steams, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, cover and steep for 30 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, make the caramel. Pour the water into the pot, then add the sugar, being careful not to get any crystals on the side of the pot. Add the cream of tarter, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves, the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar begins to color. Gently tilt the pan to brown the sugar evenly. If any crystals cling to the sides of the pan, brush them down with a clean, wet pastry brush. When the sugar reaches a medium amber color, remove it from the heat and immediately pour into the bottoms of four 4 ounce ramekins, tilting to coat them with the caramel. (If you're wondering how the heck to get that residual hardened caramel out of the pot, pour some super hot water into it and let it sit for 10 minutes or so.) Place the coated ramekins in an 8" square pan with at least 2" high sides and set aside.
    • Back to the custard. Whisk the egg, yolks, salt and the other half of the sugar in a medium bowl to combine. Place the bowl on a damp towel. Re-scald the dairy, then slowly drizzle it into the egg mixture, whisking like mad. Strain the whole deal through a fine mesh sieve into a large pitcher, pressing the mushrooms to extract as much liquid as possible. (The shrooms can be rinsed and dried for another use, like making candy cap extract.)
    • Pour the custard into the caramel-lined rams, filling them evenly. Pour hot tap water into the pan, coming two-thirds of the way up the sides of the rams (this is easier if you remove one ram first). Cover with a sheet pan or aluminum foil (punctured a few times to keep the custards from over-steaming). Place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. The custards are ready when they have a uniform jiggle, like jell-o. They should not appear runny or liquid (underbaked), nor should they have bubbles along the sides (overbaked).
    • Remove the ramekins from the water bath when cool enough to handle. Chill in an ice bath if you like, and put them in the fridge when mostly cool for at least 12 hours, or up to a couple days.
    • To serve, dip the ramekin in a bowl of hot water for a few moments. Use the pads of your thumbs to gently press around the top of the custard, prying it away from the ramekin and breaking the seal. Upend over a plate or shallow bowl. Holding the ramekin and plate firmly between your thumbs and fingers, give it a firm couple of downward shakes. The custard and sauce should slurp out. (If this doesn't work, you can run a sharp knife around the sides of the custard.) Remove the ramekin and repeat with the remaining custards.

    Notes

    Time:
    Make the base: 1 hour.
    Bake the custards: 1 hour.
    Chill the custards: 12-24 hours.
    Begin this dessert the day before you wish to serve it, as the custards need to chill for a minimum of 12 hours so that the caramel has time to liquify into a luscious sauce. Once you've made the custard base, you can keep it in the fridge for a day or two before baking. The baked custards keep for a couple days.
    If doubling the recipe, you can either use 2 whole eggs and 4 yolks, or 1 whole egg and 5 yolks.
    Nutritional values are based on one of four desserts.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 387kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 4gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 231mgSodium: 50mgPotassium: 130mgSugar: 30gVitamin A: 1120IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 91mgIron: 0.4mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!
    Candy Cap Creme Caramels
     
    Makes 4
     
    Time:
    make the base: 1 hour
    bake the custards: 1 hour
    chill the custards: 12-24 hours
     
    Begin this dessert the day before you wish to serve it, as the custards need to chill for a minimum of 12 hours so that the caramel has time to liquify into a luscious sauce. Once you've made the custard base, you can keep it in the fridge for a day or two before baking. The baked custards keep for a couple days.
     
    If doubling the recipe, you can either use 2 whole eggs and 4 yolks, or 1 whole egg and 5 yolks.
     
    Custard base:
     
    1/3 cup (1/4 ounce) dried candy cap mushrooms
    1 cup heavy cream
    1/2 cup whole milk
    1/4 cup sugar
    pinch salt
    1 egg
    2 egg yolks
     
    Caramel:
     
    1 1/2 tablespoons water
    1/3 cup sugar
    pinch cream of tartar
     
    Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325º. Have four 4 ounce ramekins ready, and an 8" square pan with 2" high sides.
     
    Combine the caps, milk, cream and half the sugar in a small saucepan. Place over medium heat until bubbles form along the sides of the pan and the mixture steams, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, cover and steep for 30 minutes.
     
    Meanwhile, make the caramel. Pour the water into the pot, then add the sugar, being careful not to get any crystals on the side of the pot. Add the cream of tarter, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves, the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar begins to color. Gently tilt the pan to brown the sugar evenly. If any crystals cling to the sides of the pan, brush them down with a clean, wet pastry brush. When the sugar reaches a medium amber color, remove it from the heat and immediately pour into the bottoms of four 4 ounce ramekins, tilting to coat them with the caramel. (If you're wondering how the heck to get that residual hardened caramel out of the pot, pour some super hot water into it and let it sit for 10 minutes or so.) Place the coated ramekins in an 8" square pan with at least 2" high sides and set aside.
     
    Back to the custard. Whisk the egg, yolks, salt and the other half of the sugar in a medium bowl to combine. Place the bowl on a damp towel. Re-scald the dairy, then slowly drizzle it into the egg mixture, whisking like mad. Strain the whole deal through a fine mesh sieve into a large pitcher, pressing the mushrooms to extract as much liquid as possible. (The shrooms can be rinsed and dried for another use, like making candy cap extract.)
     
    Pour the custard into the caramel-lined rams, filling them evenly. Pour hot tap water into the pan, coming two-thirds of the way up the sides of the rams (this is easier if you remove one ram first). Cover with a sheet pan or aluminum foil (punctured a few times to keep the custards from over-steaming). Place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. The custards are ready when they have a uniform jiggle, like jell-o. They should not appear runny or liquid (underbaked), nor should they have bubbles along the sides (overbaked).
     
    Remove the ramekins from the water bath when cool enough to handle. Chill in an ice bath if you like, and put them in the fridge when mostly cool for at least 12 hours, or up to a couple days.
     
    To serve, dip the ramekin in a bowl of hot water for a few moments. Use the pads of your thumbs to gently press around the top of the custard, prying it away from the ramekin and breaking the seal. Upend over a plate or shallow bowl. Holding the ramekin and plate firmly between your thumbs and fingers, give it a firm couple of downward shakes. The custard and sauce should slurp out. (If this doesn't work, you can run a sharp knife around the sides of the custard.) Remove the ramekin and repeat with the remaining custards.
     
    spoon cutting into creme caramel

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

      Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe Cancel reply

      I love reading your comments, reviews, and questions! If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider giving it a star rating when you post a comment. These help people discover my recipes online. Thank you for your support and for being part of The Bojon Gourmet community!

      xo, Alanna

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    1. PbandClay says

      January 01, 2020 at 12:16 pm

      I never post on-line reviews but this recipe is the exception. We harvested and dried a load of Candy Caps for the first time, and I made Creme Caramel for New Year’s Eve, to share with other fungiphiles. I had a backup plan in case it failed, technically or flavor wise but we all said it was one of the best and most unique desserts we’d every had. You won’t believe the rock hard caramel is going to turn into a creamy sauce, but it does. In 12 hours.
      I followed the recipe exactly but used 1% milk plus heavy cream, and dusted the tops very lightly with ground Candy Caps. A tiny trail of pomegranate molasses and a few frozen raspberries made for delicious and elegant presentation. The suggestion to save the mushrooms is also brilliant. French Toast in the morning!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        January 04, 2020 at 1:00 pm

        Aw I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Candy caps are so special and a rare find. I can imagine what a lovely tangy counterpoint the pomegranate molasses and berries made here. Thanks so much for the note!!

        Reply
    2. Jonathan says

      December 06, 2021 at 3:26 pm

      I made this last night and it was incredible! Will definitely be my go to candy cap recipe from this point forward.

      At the end of the recipe you mentioned that the used candy caps can be used to make candy cap syrup. What ratio of candy caps to vodka do you use?

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        December 09, 2021 at 6:34 pm

        Aw I'm so glad you loved the cookies! Candy caps are incredibly special. I have yet to try making candy cap syrup, sad to say. Please let me know if you experiment!

        Reply
        • Jonathan says

          December 12, 2021 at 11:54 pm

          My apologies, I meant to say candy cap extract! You mentioned you use the spent candy caps to make extract. What ratio of spent candy caps to vodka do you use? I searched your site for a recipe but wasn’t able to find one.

          Reply
          • Alanna says

            December 13, 2021 at 5:48 pm

            Oh got it! I can't recall if I ever actually made extract, or if I just thought that it would be a good idea!

            In any case, I would just put the spend candy caps in a jar and cover with alcohol. Let them sit until the liquid is flavorful, I'd say at least a month or two. Then strain the liquid and use it like you would vanilla extract or maple extract.

            Please let me know if you try it!

            Reply

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    I'm Alanna, a recovering pastry chef and award-winning cookbook author. I love sharing well-tested, from-scratch recipes for your favorite desserts and sweet treats made (undetectably) gluten-free with alternative flours. Because everyone deserves to eat good food. Bojon appétit! About →

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